That's cool. I was thinking about the Plate Mate magnets and how they'd probably work.

So it'll be slide two rails, making sure you hit right marks, then squeeze in two magnetic plates. I can imagine that might end up being an off-putting hassle, like changing weights on iron masters. We're getting closer to the holy grail, this probably isn't it though I think.

@@DavidLee-cw6ci still would be way faster than adjusting Ironmasters

@@DavidLee-cw6ci significantly more convenient than iron-masters, and it’s not even close. The sliders are smooth and literally take one second.

Can’t wait for the v3 lol

LOL! That would be fun to watch. I bet Coop at garage gym reviews would do it.

@@markhalstead2386 Definitely

You had me in the first half.

Go easy now Hans.

Yippee kay ay @&$&!!!

Interestingly enough the Havak guys have been very supportive of my Pepin posts!

I can't pull the trigger either, since its $2,400 shipped to my door. The Ironmasters and Powerblocks are less than half that

@@jaycherno1141 whoaaa shipping is $600?!? I just bought a 300 lbs treadmill and shipping was $160. These dumbells are much easier to maneuver than a treadmill! $600 for shipping is absurd.

@@dasdos002 I agree. It was $750 shipping for me! I ended up going with Ironmaster (free shipping).

@@jaycherno1141 good call! That’s a lot of money just to move two small boxes! What are they smoking?!?

Yeah I’ll just get get 500 pounds worth of barbell for like a fourth the cost

I've enjoyed my HDs as well, but agree they do get tiresome to change. I've upgraded equipment in the past by selling what I have to help offset the cost of something new.

There are some great Canadian companies in my gym like Pepin, Irwin, and Oak Club!

In soviet russia, dumbbells lift you.

Hope it helped fill in some gaps

I have these and they are 100% worth it

He's been really communicative throughout the process.

@Basement Brandon That matters to me a lot. Obviously I want items that match my needs the most perfectly, but I also want to support businesses that listen to feedback and adapt accordingly.

True

You bet!

That doesn't sound fun :(

@@BasementBrandon I took the “don’t drop the weights” gym sign too far haha

@@DrTopLiftDPT 😂

Yeah still a tough pill to swallow for price, but if you use DBs they can really come in handy

You can't drop nuobell at all plastic handles

Thanks for taking a look!

Any time!

Thanks for taking a look!

Appreciate the first hand feedback

I meant to show it in the video as I took footage, but you can do those exercises, just a bit more wonky. Thanks for the kind words.

I do pullovers with the fast series no problem

Thanks! 👍

Hope you enjoy!

Yeah things keep improving, which sucks bc it means I keep buying 😝

I think it may take some slight adjusting on the cradle with these. You have about 1/2" of adjustability per side. Once you find the perfect spacing it makes racking much easier when fully loaded.

Powerblocks don't need the cradle - sounds like another option that might work for you

I got the Pepin fast dumbbells too after owning the 1090s one of the plates chipped and doesn't adjust anymore ...one time I was pressing and some of the plates slid off as well which freaked me out. The Bowflex quality is terrible long term and a safety hazard.

Got the first one out in 2 weeks, 2nd one will take 2 years :)

@@BasementBrandon You are the man. Keep up the great content!

Always!

In time mike… in time 🤡

I'm pretty old school when it comes to lifting. I've been doing it since 1978. I was taught never to drop the weights. The weights back then were very high quality (like everything else) but dropping them was simply out of the question. Cross fit style training with all of the Olympic lifting has really opened the door to dropping weights. No matter how well something is made its not going to last as long if you feel the need to keep dropping the equipment. Even with bumper plates I still wouldn't be inclined to drop my weights. It's just too ingrained in me not to do so.

@@stevesorensen9648 I agree. Unless you feel as though you're about to injure yourself, I see no reason to throw weights.

dropping dumbbells can be completely involuntary or a good thing to do to avoid an impending injury. Think flat/incline DB press/flys. There are times when dropping them from height would absolutely be the right thing to do and trying to guide them down would be stupid as you'd risk worse injury. By all means if you never push anywhere close to failure and only use light weight, then dropping is probably not going to be a consideration

@@trulsrohk1 I have dropped a db while failing on a db bench press. Arm started to "wander" and that was it. My set up was not very good. Obviously, it is not up head high, but it is higher than Brandon is doing here.

Yeah the feel is the thing that killed it for me! I know a lot love them though.

Agreed, he does a good handle!

Thanks for taking the time

Right on!

He really cares about his customers, which I can't say for all the companies I've dealt with.

Thanks so mich Eric ! 🙏

Thanks my dude.

Thanks so much for your feedback on my HD series !

Agreed, David does handles right!

@@davidoss15 hey david! Any way to get these bad boys distributed in Europe? I need this set in my life right now!

When are yours coming in?

Thanks dude!

@@BasementBrandon since the very first video I commented on 10 years ago, you still make it a point to respond. You Sir live the Stay Big mentality!

Yeah the rails are not ideal, but it's better than Nuobell's plastic cam followers that are practically guaranteed to break sooner or later and are not serviceable.

@@plmn93 totally agree

I have them and the rails actually don't bother me at all, I was worried too

Thanks Philip!

@@JBS7551 Thank you for sharing your direct experience!

thanks for taking a look!

I think if it came down to me wanting more pieces that may be a route I'd explore too. But right now I love my fixed set and the versatility of the Iron Bear.

@@BasementBrandon for sure. I only have fixed DB’s up to 50 in 5LB incriminates so I wouldn’t be losing anything really in upgrading to these.

Yeah it’s cool to see him actively improving things as part of the process.

When is v2 supposed to release?

And release in the UK?

how do you like the nuobells?

@@alexbenzler5327 they work perfect. Can change quick to do supersets, never had a failure, feel like real DBs. I had the Bowflex before and the Nuos are significantly better. I bought some 85 and 95 fixed DBs as well

I'll do a video of the HDs, I think there were a few enhancements but would love to hear your point of view.

@@BasementBrandon The first version is "hand made", not CNC. They looks good in a picture, but in real life those are very beautiful... When the delivery man came and put the box in my hand, he said : That is heavy... ;) I purchase used the fat handles afterwards, and those ARE FAT. I've tried fatgrip on the normal one, but since the handle is bigger, they could not fit well. The guy that sold my the fat handles was a welder and he told me that David, that handmade all the handles before, made one of the best welds he ever seen and it will never fail "that guy makes arts"... (I'm no welder, just reporting what he told me). At first, I didn't had any uhmw donut inside, I had to purchase it afterwards so the tightness were not "there" at first. They are also a bit slower when you screw it than the new model (same version but enhanced and better made). It was still evolving a lot at the time. Also, I have to check before and after each sets that the screw are tight. It annoys my wife, but I got used to it, I don't even thinks about it now. The knurling on the normal handle is not TPB, but close. For a DB it's definitely very high end... I don't know what Coop got, but mine is quite sharp... The fat version has a milder knurling, but not bad at all, but maybe closer to what Coop described.. Not the typical DB thing however and nothing to complain about really... What I've found, is that you need to ensure that you have at least 1 inch of screw inside the handle to have a safe set, I've stretched my luck one time, but hopefully nothing bad happened and the weight came of. You just need to be aware. Other than this, the DB is great and I'm still figuring out how I could load them faster, like the IM... I might build a rig at some point. The stand that Pepin's sell dream great, but man that's big for a homegym... And when you load a 80-100 DB, you don't want to bring them on a high table... However, when you get used to it (2y), you can definitely be quick at building your DB. If you prepare your things in your resttime you can make it smooth and quick. On the ground is the best IMO, and it's really fast with experience though it was not the case when I got it... Magnetic weight attachments are a great assets, I might invest in microgains or other gadgets like this to load even faster. About the plating, even after two years of everyday use, I got a couple of scratches, but nothing that really attacked the plating itself. The nickel is still looking crazy great... Really, I bought them before it went banana and I'm glad I did and this is something I will probably keep forever. My wife told me she would like another sets for her... Eh boy... It sure that if I had the money I would get the fast one right away, but I'm extremely satisfied with what I have and getting those would be a luxury. And my wife needs to learn to enjoy what we have!!!

It's over the top in the best way lol

For me overhead tricep ext were a bit wonky, mostly b/c of the sharp edges and my poor should mobility.

agreed

I love the fact that Rep is releasing them for half the price!

@@joeschmidhofer2674 Thanks for the heads up.... looks like 32% off actually.. but a 6 month wait for pre orders. ;-(

Next time!

Thanks for taking a look!

I probably should have used hex as an example for most as you're still looking at substantially more money (and even more space). I just used urethane since I was using myself as the use case. Appreciate the feedback!

Lot of those channels put out better content than the bigger ones!

Some good points here!

Thanks my brother!

Fair enough!

Really nice quality in my pieces from them.

I don't have the 2.25 set but we will see!

Appreciate the insight!

much love

Fair enough!

The 120s can be a bit tough depending on where the cradle is. For me too I think I should play with where the ends bolt on as they allow you to adjust width some. I imagine if it’s dialed in, it would be harder to “miss”.

@@BasementBrandon do you mean like slightly loosening the bolt-on pieces? I’m having trouble imagining what you’d tweak

@@BrandonSchwartz1 The 2 pieces of the cradle that stick up and hold in the end plates bolts on. There's about .5" of adjustability on either side. If you push them both all the way in, it may be too narrow to rerack the handle unless you're 100% dead on.

Ah was not aware, that's cool to know!

Where did you see the heavy handle kit? I can’t seem to see find the kit.

I should clarify, production was taking longer than anticipated, so he emailed me about a discount and informed me of a future stand and heavy handle add on. I asked what it might look like, and he sent a prototype photo and its really 2 additional plates that bolt to the inner plates of the handle. There is less handle room now but I've got fairly meaty paws and they fit just fine, no rubbing. Not sure if you need to email him for the add on kit??

@@garrettsolberg9100 thank you for responding! I Definitely should contact him. Been wanting adjustable dumbells over 100lbs these seem to be a good fit.

I couldn’t find where to add the heavy handle kit when I purchased. But it’s cool, I use 20s more than 130s Edit: nvm should’ve kept reading

I have Iron Masters and bought the 125lb upgrade. Love them.

Even though the option to upgrade that much sound great. I've met only a handful of people in my days that would actually use that heavy of a DB lol.

@@BasementBrandon 120 lb is all I would ever need and know most people do not get the 165 lb upgrade.

If it's free, it's for me!

Appreciate the feedback!

I don't believe the Mad Spotter Pro hooks will as they have a max handle girth of 32mm.

Not for normal pressing movements, but pullovers are more awkward.

@@BasementBrandon Thanks for the reply! Are you going to review the Pepin HD series? I'm interested in those and would love a thorough review! Thanks.

@@HughLeFitness I have a set, I just need to find time to do a video.

Appreciated! Some still aren't happy, but I tested them how I would use them, which is all I need 😅

Yeah if I wanted to I could prob ditch my fixed and open up a whole wall for more equipment but tbh my wife does a shit ton of DB work and supersets so it would not go over well lol.

Right on! I know he's working on planning the next versions.

Just one of the tradeoffs of this style I think :(

🙏

What’s the release date for the revision?

The american dream!

I've never owned any so can't really say!

Ah you know I had a clip of my doing overhead tricep extensions but forgot to show it. It's doable, a bit awkward, but the thing for me (who has terrible shoulder mobility), the the metal plates don't feel great if you whack yourself in the neck.

I do pullovers with these and took a bit to get used to but I like it and works well

Thanks for checking in Marcus!

I think they make a powerblock that goes up that high as well, no?

@@BasementBrandon ya they do but i can’t find that for the model I have it only goes to 90

Def on the hardcore side!

Check out Snode, that's basically what they are.

@@BasementBrandon Was just about to mention snode. Have you reviewed those?

@@user-fi6hg8vq6c I have not!

I wonder how many people know what it is 😝

I got the platemates for mine and it works great 😀

I was thinking the same thing with the 2.5lbs micro plates.. I just don't know if it would fit well with the side rail.. looks like the 1.25 micro plates just fit. But if the 2.5lbs ones fit that would fit the counter balance problem

@@JBS7551 great to hear!

@@gavinmarion91 yeah, that’s my concern with the MicroGainz and why I’m leaning towards platemate.

I just pinned my comment, but Pepin will also be releasing magnet sets for 5lbs and 2.5lbs jumps if people prefer.

I do think they'd oxidize over time, but not any more than other metal equipment in the gym.

🤞

I'm not sure as I don't own them. You don't have a ton of room to maneuver. Based off look, I'd assume the Kettle Gryps would work but don't think the Monkey Feet would.

If you change directions forcefully you'll hear a quick rattle, but otherwise pretty quiet to me.

I think if it were to unlock anywhere it would be on the drops. While lifting there's nothing that should jar it loose.

I never ran into that issue with my IM, so I'm not sure my answer would help here.

Yeah a lot of preference will always dictate buying decisions.

I have those. Love them. Literally just like nuobells except in a octagon shape. Knurling is very passive though if you care about that. I have the bolts for accessory and then for heavy db work I have a pair of loadable dumbells but since I powerlift most of my workout is barbell with dbs being accessory work... If I could do it all over and get either these or the setup that I already have, I would probably still get the set up that I have since I saved close to a grand.

Yeah I agree. I got away without DBs in my home gym for a long time and believe I could still do so if I wanted.

I have the same set. Valid concerns for peoples comments on the plastic but I haven’t seen any reports of major or minor failure of Nuobell style dumbbells but time will tell. I love my set. My only regret is not getting the military green versions lol

Yeah if you don’t need to go over 80lbs, nuobells are a great option.

@@BasementBrandon Fair. I'm pretty sure I'd use them for either biceps or lateral raises 99% of the time

@@BradHanssen I've had the Nuobells for a year and had to replace one of the handles because it was shaking and would sometimes lockup when trying to lift it off the cradle. They only give 2 years warranty and to add an additional 3 year warranty it is $65. I wish the Peppin fast series was in the States.

They look great. I wish this video would have been posted a month ago. Just bought nuobell

see on my channel. 4-41 kg increments 1.5 kg

I believe Bowflex Selecttech can make 2.5lb increments up to a certain weight but then you have all the other downsides of Bowflex (plastic parts, DB length is always the same for all weights, etc)

I'm not sure TBH!

Most adjustables have some tradeoff. I like the quickness to change PBs, but they just feel so awkward to use.

Annoying only for certain exercises to me. Like when you’re doing two hand overhead extensions or pullovers.

@@BasementBrandon got it, thank you. I’ll get to put hands on the prototypes at HGC next weekend, just saw something mentioned about these not being conducive for straps and was curious if your take. Thanks again!

@@jared.freedom.gym2021 They did make it a bit more difficult, but I rarely use straps so I could just have bad form 😅

Cradles must be on a flat surface for proper functionality. But plates can't fall as they are held by the support, even at angle.

I see david answered. I would think angled would work as the end of the cradle has a female end to lock plates, but racking would be awkward.

I just black out and finger stuff until I wake up. Glad this one turned out ok.

I've heard of a few people having issues with the mechanism, so I worry that may not be the best solution.

I don't own any, but I would think so.

I'm not sure TBH, I haven't tried!

Yes, I filmed it but forgot to include. It's doable but a bit wonky in my opinion. Also with the hard edges if you hit yourself or have shitty shoulder mobility like me, good luck!

@@BasementBrandon Thanks for replying.

Plate mates work great for it

I see Pepin will be coming out with magnet sets for those who prefer as well.

They work only on a flat surface. And the 5lb increment balance isn't an issue, trust me

He suggests flat surface only. They are in the process of coming out with magnet plates for both ends if you don't want to do the 5lbs jumps the way I show.

Def a commitment!

It really depends on a few things. How much space you want to give up, how much you want to spend, how quickly you want it to adjust, if they're droppable and how you want it to feel.

@@BasementBrandon would you go with pepin pro/HD or the ironmaster?

@@Justin-cy8is in that case I'd prob go Iron master as it's a bit easier to adjust/load given the square plates.

I have both these and iron master but man, fast series takes the cake

@@JBS7551 I ended up selling my Iron Master 5-120lb dumbbells for the same reasons mentioned in the video. They don't take THAT long to change, but long enough for me to not want to mess with them, especially when training with limited time. I bought individual DBs up to 65lbs, but really want the Peppin Fast Series -- I just don't think I can justify the cost.

@gtlandis86 Yeah adjusting the iron masters gets to be a real pain, especially when needing to do big changes. I may sell mine and get a solid set of metal adjustables that go from 5-50, I don't know of a good brand for that yet

Yeah shipping needs to be considered but I think the point still remains the same. For the features they offer the price point is still relatively low in context.

@@BasementBrandon For sure, no matter how you look at it, adjustable dumbbells will be cheaper than individual dumbbells. It's just a matter of finding the ones you like the best from a form/function and durability standpoint.

We'll see! I think the general crowd will likely still want PBs, but for those who want heavy and rugged, these are likely more up their alley!

Yeah I tried to frame it up for context, but I wonder how many have priced out similar dumbbell options.